Duties of Member-at-Large

According to ABLE Bylaws:

ABLE has four members-at large, with each serving a four-year term; one position is replaced each year.

Beginning July 1 of each year, a Member-At-Large assumes the following duties:

• Attend all Board Meetings and the Annual Business Meeting.
• Aid in conducting the business of the organization:
  • Participate in discussions of issues brought before the Board during annual business meetings.
  • Exercise voting rights on ABLE affairs as brought before the Board during the annual Board Meetings.
  • Communicate with other Board Members by e-mail, telephone, fax, or surface mail as needed during the time between annual meetings.
  • Contribute skills and time to Board activities depending upon the particular expertise, interests, and resources available to the Member-At-Large.
  • Serve annually on Nominating Committee and Grants-in-Aid Committee
  • Carry out special duties as assigned by the ABLE President.

For the first two years of their term, Members-at-Large will serve on the Major Workshop Committee, assisting the Chair of the Committee on various matters including: choosing workshops, trying to drum up support if an insufficient number of workshop proposals are received, developing a bank of proposals for future years.

In the third year of their term, Members-at-Large will serve as head of the Nomination Committee and will conduct the annual elections.

In the fourth year of the term, the Member-at-Large will serve as the Chair of Grant-in-Aid Committee, which oversees the Laboratory Initiative Grants (LIG) and Waiver of Registration applications. This involves receipt of the LIG /Waiver of Registration proposals/applications, dispersal of proposals/applications to the other Members-at-Large, and notifying successful applicants. Chair must also remind successful applicants of their duties to give an update on the grant to winter Labstracts and to present laboratory exercise as either mini or major workshop within two years. During the fourth year of the term, the Member-at-Large will serve as the Chair of the Members-at-Large Group. The Chair will remind the members of their duties and ensure the passing of information form one member to the other.

All Members-at-Large shall serve on the Grants-in-Aid Committee for all 4 years of their term.